Ada St.
1664 North Ada Street
Chicago
Tel: 773.697.7069
Designers: 2to5design, JNL graphic design

Guests entering Ada St. step into a lounge carved out of an old freight elevator. It is symbolic of the journey they are about to take: from industrial streetscape to modern dining room with nods to the past and trends of the present. Just down the block from the venerable Hideout Inn, Ada St., like its off-the-beaten-path neighbor, is a destination unto itself.

The journey, created by interior designer Jodi Morton and graphic designer, Jason Pickleman, takes guests from the elevator lounge, down a long, under-lit salvage-wood paneled hallway capped with a wall of Jason’s typography. (Jason’s graphic design contributions can also be found on the menus and dining room art.) A long wine library flanks the next hallway on one side and votive candles hide in checkered brick wall recesses on the other. A vinyl record collection is the last feature before guests spill into the courtyard facing dining room. Jodi said that the “durable, affordable, and sustainable informed our material choices,” which included using army blankets for upholstery and Baltic plywood for custom tables. Collectively, it’s fun and warm and with her husband David Morton’s food and drinks you might find yourself sticking around for hours.